ICCBS condemns allegations in connection with PhD student’s suicide

The International Centre for Chemical & Biological Sciences (ICCBS) at the University of Karachi has termed news and social media posts linking the suicide of Nadia Ashraf Chaudhry with her PhD at the Dr Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine & Drug Research (PCMD) as “baseless and unfounded”.

“The centre categorically condemns these false allegations,” an ICCBS spokesman claimed on Sunday. The spokesman said Nadia enrolled for her MPhil/PhD in 2007 under the supervision of Dr Ameen Suria, but when Dr Suria left the centre, she went under the supervision of Dr Iqbal Choudhary.

The ICCBS statement said she was provided an opportunity to train in France with other students but was unable to fully focus on her research because of family issues and personal health.

The spokesman said she stopped coming to the centre for a few years and started working at private universities to support her family, adding that she occasionally visited the centre to meet with her colleagues and supervisor.

The statement claimed that she was severely depressed and frequently mentioned her serious family issues, including the unexplained disappearance of her father a long time ago, while she was also concerned about her own health and her mother’s.

The spokesman said her supervisor and the institution offered maximum support to her on every occasion, adding that her application for an extension of registration was also favourably recommended to facilitate the completion of her PhD.

The statement said she was always appreciative of the support she received from Dr Choudhary and respected him like her father, adding that Dr Choudhary had supervised over 100 PhDs and was ranked among the top scientists of the country. The PCMD management expressed deep sorrow on Nadia’s passing away, saying that if her life had ended due to suicide, it must have been because of her personal issues, over which the institution had no control.